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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · toast · bowl · rush · pass · tear · race · stock

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — hurry
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. race — humankind
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stock — shares
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stock — goods
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. toast — bread
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com